MAKE-BELIEVERS
Kenjo McCurtain - Director, Producer, Writer
Kenjo McCurtain is an award-winning filmmaker who moved to Japan to pursue his craft after graduating with a BA in Film Studies in the UK, where his work was screened at the university's annual film festival.
Kenjo has written and directed four short films. Make-Believers (2020), a Japanese romantic musical will be his feature film debut as director.
Works:
‘Necropolis’ (2014): selected for the Fukuoka Independent Short Film Festival and ranked in Yahoo's top ten videos online thereafter;
‘Automation’ (2017) winner of Best Director and Best Actor at the English Riviera Film Festival, Official Selection at Bali International Film Festival and Hollywood Verge Awards;
‘Yamome’ (2018) winner of the Independent World Best Short Film Award at Mt. Fuji Atami Film Festival, Best Actress and Best Drama Short at Genre Celebration Film Festival, the 2019 Shorties Film Festival Best Editing and Best Film winner, and Official Selection for various film festivals worldwide;
‘Transmission’ (2019) a genre effort - is a psychological-horror short adapted from a short story by H.P. Lovecraft and updated to modern day Japan. Kenjo is a Kyoto Filmmakers' Lab alumni and bilingual in English and Japanese.
'Make-Believers' (2021) a feature romantic musical-drama, World Premieres at the 2021 RiverRun International Film Festival in May 2021 and is one of six features selected for the RE:Vision Independent Feature Competition; Official Selection and Best Screenplay Nominee for Bucharest Film Awards and winner of Best of Festival - Feature Comedy or Musical award at Piermont Film Festival in New York.
ANOMIE
Kelly Godell - Director, producer and lead
Kelly is a director, actor, writer and producer from Portland, Oregon. This is her first directorial feature.
EXTRA INNINGS, HOUSEHOLD DEMONS, EXIT PACKAGE
John Gray - Director, co-producer and writer
John Gray is a New York based writer-director. He created the long running hit CBS series GHOST WHISPERER, as well as writing and directing many award winning and critically acclaimed movies for television, such as MARTIN AND LEWIS, starring Sean Hayes and Jeremy Northam, A PLACE FOR ANNIE with Sissy Spacek, HAVEN with Natasha Richardson and Anne Bancroft, and many others. He has also written and directed several studio and independent features, including the award winning WHITE IRISH DRINKERS, starring Stephen Lang and Karen Allen, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. His other award winning short films, THE DESECRATED, EXIT PACKAGE, HOUSEHOLD DEMONS, WELCOME TO FOREVER and FRENCH KISS have played and are playing festivals worldwide. FRENCH KISS has notched over 6.3 million views on Youtube.
A HOME CALLED NEBRASKA
Beth Gage, George Gage - Directors, Producers
Beth and George Gage, as Gage & Gage Productions, co-produce and co-direct compelling personal films that inspire viewers, initiate dialogue and prompt action on provocative issues. Concentrating on the environment, human rights and social justice, they produce films on subjects underrepresented in the current media.
Beth creates the story; George is the films’ cinematographer. Their films have won dozens of awards at national and international film festivals and have been highly acclaimed by film reviewers. Their films have been distributed theatrically, on television, educationally, for DVD and consumer streaming.
MY HOME
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The current situation in Cambodia represents an environmental crisis, with large mammals and their habitats under particular threat. Indeed, it has never been more important to highlight the need to preserve natural ecosystems, in Cambodia and beyond. In Cambodia, elephants have historically and culturally occupied an important place in society, particularly for indigenous and forest dwelling communities who have tended to have close relationships to elephant custodianship. Those same indigenous communities suffer widespread stigma and marginalisation in Cambodia, and face the brunt of Cambodia’s environmental challenges such as deforestation and wildlife loss. These films emerged as part of a participatory filmmaking project for young Cambodians, led by the University of Bath and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK). The films are intended to promote awareness of environmental and indigenous issues in Cambodia and beyond. What we see are three films with powerful messages about the need to protect natural habitats, ensure animal welfare, and promote anti-racism.
VIRGIN BLACKTOP : A New York Skate Odyssey
Charlie Samuels - Director, Producer and Writer
Award-winning director and photographer Charlie Samuels got his start shooting the burgeoning N.Y.C. skateboard scene for Thrasher. Assignments then came from Sports Illustrated, Elle, Time and Vogue. His photo of a skater was a first on the top front page of The New York Times, where he is a career “stringer”. Charlie’s images cover a Supreme clothing line, Burton snowboards and Vans shoes.
narrowsburg
Martha Shane - Director, Producer
Martha Shane is an Emmy Award-winning director and producer of documentaries. Her films -- AFTER TILLER, NARROWSBURG, THE EMOJI STORY, FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, and BI THE WAY -- have screened at festivals including Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, Full Frame, Hot Docs, and the Camden International Film Festival. They have been released by Oscilloscope Laboratories and Utopia Distribution and have screened on Netflix and as part of PBS’s flagship POV series, as well as on many other platforms. Most recently, Martha directed two episodes, THE ALABAMA EXIT and ANNA DELVEY TAKES MANHATTAN, of the new HBO Max show GENERATION HUSTLE. Named one of DOC NYC’s “40 under 40” in 2019, Martha is also an editor and story consultant whose credits include NOT GOING QUIETLY (Greenwich Entertainment, 2021), 11/8/16 (The Orchard, Netflix, 2017), ACORN AND THE FIRESTORM (Independent Lens, 2018), and the Emmy-nominated PERSONAL STATEMENT (PBS’s America ReFramed, 2018). Martha studied film at Wesleyan University, where she graduated in 2005.
we are all in this together
Danny Troia - Director, producer, writer and lead
I have spent the last 14 years of my life learning alternative ways to travel the world, and connecting with people from different cultures.
ANAGnorisis
Arturo Dueñas Herrero - Director
Arturo Dueñas (Esguevillas de Esgueva, Valladolid, Spain, 1962). Bachelor of Arts, Qualified in Cinematography and Filmmaking Course at the New York Film Academy. Full member of the Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences of Spain. Actor, director, producer, editor and scriptwriter in several short films, he has produced and directed the feature films Amateurs (Aficionados, 2011), selected and awarded in over 30 international festivals, Corsairs (Corsarios, 2015), Mission: Sahara (Misión: Sáhara, 2016), Built lands (Tierras construidas, 2019) and Pessoas: the shortest path (Pessoas: el camino más corto, 2020).
ava's silence
Seyed Gholamreza Nematpour - Director, writer, producer
Seyed Gholamreza Nematpour was born in Khoram Abad in 1976 . He has a B.A. degree in the field of directing from Sooreh University, in Tehran and M.A Degree in the field of TV, Teacher Of script writing , directing , editing , and photography, in Khoram Abad Youth Cinema Society. Has made 14 Short films, including animation, documentary, and video art. "No Heaven For Gunga Din" is my first long film. Participating in various film Festivals and getting some awards .
A Brother's love
Michael Rosario - Director, writer, producer
Michael Rosario is a young filmmaker from Sleepy Hollow High School. He has made many short films for programs and class projects. He has won the "Sleepy Shorts" film contest in October 2019 and has had two films selected in the "NYU FFW Film Festival" in Spring 2020.
building Memories
Geno Andrews - Director, writer, producer
Geno has been writing, directing and editing for nearly 20 years. With numerous festival wins and awards, his films have been distributed in over 70 countries through The SCC. He started out as a child actor in Los Angeles and has worked almost every aspect of production, both in front of, and behind, the camera.
FASHION STATEMENT
Luis Zuniga - Director
Luis Zuniga is a young filmmaker that was recently selected and completed the Television Academy Foundation’s prestigious summer internship program. Prior to that he worked on the Sundance premiered documentary, Mucho Mucho Amor, as an intern and production assistant. Luis earned his B.A. in film from California State University Long Beach where he developed a love for creating documentary films. Luis currently resides in Orange County, California with his wife and their two cats where he spends his time producing documentary films as well as corporate videos with his business partner.
5X7
Michele Citoni - Director, writer, producer
Journalist, communication professional, filmmaker. For many years he was an environmentalist activist. He has worked in radio stations and collaborated with newspapers ad magazines. He participates in research projects on contemporary history, territorial sciences, political ecology, social movements. He makes documentaries as an independent, with which he has participated in numerous international festivals.
sunset in winter
Kelley Lockman - Director, lead
Kelley Lockman is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. Born and raised in Georgia, Kelley’s passion for film eventually led him to film school and then to acting. Kelley has appeared in various TV shows and films, including Tyler Perry’s “A Fall from Grace.” He writes and directs his own work. Recently Kelley completed “Sunset in Winter,” a film that he writes, directs, and stars.
THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS
Lisa Gold - Director
Lisa Gold is a filmmaker, screenwriter and novelist who swears she loves her three creative progeny equally but secretly loves directing best. (Just don’t tell the other children.)
As a filmmaker, Lisa has directed, written and/or produced eight award-winning short films. She has written award-winning screenplays, a produced documentary and a children’s novel. Lisa has a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A. from UCLA.
Lisa’s feature screenplay drama THE POKER WARS was a Finalist in the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting and won the CineStory Screenwriting Awards. Lisa is revising the novel version of her family action/adventure feature script THE SECRET OF SHANGRI-LA, Grand Jury Prize Winner for the 2017 Nashville Film Festival Screenplay Competition, Quarterfinalist in the Nicholl Fellowships and Finalist in the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards. Lisa’s sci-fi time travel feature FOREGLOW was a 2018 Nicholl Quarterfinalist and is currently a 2020 Austin Semi-Finalist in both Drama and Sci-Fi categories. Her pilot BONDAGE was a Finalist in the CineStory TV/Digital competition; her pilot YONGE STREET STRIP was a Finalist in the 2017 Script and in the 2018 Nashville Film Festival Screenplay Competition. The pilot was a Semi-FInalist in the 2019 Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition AMC Drama Pilot and Humanitas Originals Awards.
As a Fellow in the AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women, Lisa participated in a competitive program which gives selected women training, support and resources to make a short film. Her AFI short THE DEATH OF TOYS was an official selection of 39 festivals, winning Best Director, Toronto International Film and Video Awards; Best Narrative Short, Winnipeg Real to Reel Film Festival; Best Actress (Kim Rhodes), Winter Film Awards; Groundbreaking Filmmaker, HATCH Asheville.
Lisa displayed her passion for improv comedy five other short films, which were made for various 48 Hour film competitions. Lisa wrote and/or directed and produced these films. Although made in only two days while having far too much fun, these films have played various film festivals. As an improvisational actress, Lisa has performed in various venues around Los Angeles; she is a graduate of the Second City Conservatory.
Her latest work as a director is an anti-gun violence short satire, THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS, written by Terry Rossio (“Pirates of the Caribbean”). The recently completed film has so far been officially selected by 19 film festivals. Lisa is currently writing a companion anti-gun violence feature, as well as working on two documentary shorts.
Bodyslammed: Folk Hero vs. Billionaire
Guthrie Quist - Director, writer, producer
Raised on a working horse ranch in Montana, Guthrie Quist discovered his love of film while working as a projectionist at his local movie theater during his high school years. While attending Pepperdine University in Malibu he befriended legendary film actor Jeff Bridges. Later, while moonlighting as an Uber driver in Los Angeles he had a chance meeting with an award winning documentarian and was inspired to pursue his passion full-time. He studied film at the Montana Institute of the Arts and made his directorial debut with Bodyslammed: Folk Hero vs Billionaire, an engaging documentary about the Montana Special Election of 2017 that garnered national interest.
